


The Ice Maiden

by orphan_account



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-01-13 22:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1243198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arendelle is invaded by Weasleton and a young Elsa must flee in the midst of chaos aboard a cargo ship. With a large price on her head, Elsa is forced into a life at sea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deadly Red

Fifteen year old Princess Elsa awoke with a jerk to find chaos swimming around her. Fire licked the thick curtains framing her ceiling-tall windows and sharp winter wind urged it farther in, leading it onto the traditional rug that had been in the castle for five generations of royalty. The wind didn't faze her, but the heat from the fire was blistering and she had to squint to look at it. Elsa was disoriented for only a moment, but the sound of gunfire and wild screams snapped her back to reality.

It was an attack. Yet, who would attack Arendelle? Her father hadn't mentioned any trouble with any particular country lately, and she was fairly well informed for her age.

"Princess?" Elsa's door crashed open, a royal guard squinting through the smoke, rifle swiftly scanning her room. At the sight of Elsa the guard quickly lowered his weapon, "My lady, please, we must hurry, the kingdom is under attack!"

Elsa slid out from under her luxurious covers, not caring when her bare feet made contact with the chilled floor. The guard hastily ushered her out into the hallway, then into the nearest hidden servant corridor. These narrow hallways led to every room and were used so servants could discreetly move from one place to the other. Now Elsa figured they became the perfect way to sneak out the royal family without being caught by the enemies. Speaking of-

"My- the King and the Queen, are they safe?" Elsa asked in-between ragged breaths. She wasn't use to such exertion as a Princess, the most physically activity she did on a regular basis was riding horses or lugging books around the library. This running in fear took much more out of her much faster than she was use to.

"Yes mam, of course, others are attending to the King and Queen. You are to join them and board the ship the Ice Maiden."

"Ice Maiden" Elsa muttered. She had heard of this ship before, it was a cargo ship, primarily for trade. But it was just that, a cargo ship, not some sort of vessel fit for war or transporting royalty. Elsa felt her face tightening as she realized how unprepared Arendelle had been for this attack. Of course their had been skirmishes around the boarder every now and again, but nothing her father had thought would lead to this… this unwarranted siege.

Finally the guard led her through a door leading out of the servant's corridor after an innumerable amount of turns and curves. Elsa was surprised to find herself in the back of the kitchens, right in the center of a small circle of Arendelle soldiers. Elsa drew back- the horror and emptiness filling their expressions was intimidating, though she knew logically they would were on her side. What if she needed to be given up to stop the fighting? She had read of it happening in the past- an army would be willing to ceasefire and let the survivors go if the royal family was sacrificed.

Her throat tightened in apprehension, but she held her head high. She would do anything for her people, that's what her parents had taught her, at least. "Princess!" The group greeted mournfully, bowing dutifully at the waist.

She curtsied back shallowly, as was proper, but she felt herself sink lower than was needed of her status. If they favor me, maybe… Insecurity burrowed itself in her chest.

"Listen here, boys, we are going to fight to the last man and beyond to get the princess onto that boat, you hear?" The guard who had been leading Elsa suddenly shouted, causing Elsa to flinch back.

"Yes sir!" chorused the group, the emptiness in their eyes suddenly filled with purpose and grim determination.

"For our home!" Battle cries lifted from the soldiers and Elsa again found herself swept away. She was suddenly surrounded by fire and blood- red everywhere, death seeping into the cobblestones beneath her feet. Her country, her parents, her people! How could they survive this? The city surround the castle appeared ransacked and was glowing orange, flames reaching high in the night sky, smoke blocking out the stars.

An enemy soldier rushed her, but the Arendelle soldiers easily stopped him. The masts of the ships docked in the harbor were just visible, soon Elsa spied the rolling waters reflecting the light of the fire swiftly overtaking the town.

A choked scream made Elsa flinch around, and with her eyes wide she witnessed a soldier die, sword sprouting from his chest in a plume of crimson blood. He collapsed to the ground to reveal a soldier bearing the colors of Weasleton grimacing behind his back. What struck her most was his look of displeasure- he was only doing his duty as ordered by his King, of course. Elsa realized this, but it didn't help stifle the sudden hate and fear rising in her chest.

She was pushed back forcefully as one of her own soldiers did his duty, and cut down the threat to his Princess. "Go!" he shouted forcefully.

Obediently Elsa spun and took off again, training her eyes back on the masts of the ships. The soldiers leading her kept close, warding off any attackers, but still the rapid force of fighting was slowly breaking them apart into a less organized formation. Elsa wanted to help; she wished she could do something. She was useless, and these brave men were dying for her.

Heat suddenly rose from her arm, she peered down to find a deep gash sliding across her bicep. She blinked up, surprised to find a Weasleton soldier dead, being shoved away from her. He must have lunged for her, accepting death for the attempt at her life. She would have shuddered if she hadn't already been shaking horrendously.

"Princess!" A voice called from above.

Elsa snapped her head up to find Gerda, the head of the servants, leaning over the side of a ship. When she had actually arrived on the dock, Elsa wasn't sure. She guessed she had blacked out after getting cut.

"Go Princess, we will hold them off!" An Arendelle soldier called over his shoulder, sword raised and glinting red. Nauseous, Elsa stumbled up on the ship, which was in a flurry of activity itself. Hardened men hefted ropes thicker than her wrist onto the deck of the ship.

"My parents- where?" Elsa managed to croak to Gerda.

Elsa missed Gerda's wince and etched frown, "Sit down, lass, you appear as if you're about to swoon."

So Elsa sat because she was too numb to think to do anything else. She watched blankly as the ship moved away from the dock, giving her a wider perspective she never wanted on the destruction of her home. Arendelle was in shambles.

OOOO

Adjusting to life at sea had been hard, but Elsa wasn't anything if not stubborn. Despite her age and status she fell into the habit of helping however she could manage. She wouldn't freeload off these people. Quickly she discovered that nimbly climbing up to the crow's nest was nerve-wracking because of the height, but also something she was able to do quicker than most of the other crew. It wasn't much, but she took a secret pride in it.

Insisting on helping on the ship was also a selfish act on her part. She wanted, needed, something to distract her from the horrors in her own head. The deaths of a million soldiers played in her mind, and the soldiers soon morphed into her own parents, dying over and over again, just an arm's reach away.

Elsa was now the rightful Queen of Arendelle, but it didn't mean much to her because Arendelle was now under the control of Weasleton. She wasn't in charge of a country and she insisted any sort of formality to be ignored. She didn't like being bowed to by the crew members- she was in the same boat with all these people; she was no better than any of them.

She began to find herself taken with the blue of the water and the blue of the sky. Nothing like the reds of fire or blood. Her body became adjusted to the rolling of the sea easily, and her nose was thankful for the salty breeze. Her hands were thoroughly callused by the time the Ice Maiden docked in the Southern Isles.

What awaited her there was an escort to capture her. She was impressed at the amount placed on her own head. The King of Weasleton was insuring that it would be more profitable to hand Elsa over rather than shelter her. The following fight was vicious, but Elsa escaped on the Ice Maiden once more.

She overheard the captian speaking to Gerda one night while she had been hanging in the nets, watching the stars. Their hushed voices had been difficult to pick out, but she heard them clear enough.

"You are welcome to stay on this ship as long as you see fit, madam. This crew stays loyal to the Queen, of course."

"I understand that," Gerda replied hotly, "But we are in danger here. A ship must dock eventually, and I am fairly certain no docks are friends of Arendelle's right now."

"We will lower the colors of Arendelle. No one would bat an eye at us."

"Yes, and having a fifteen year-old girl on board is not suspicious at all."

"Your sarcasm is biting." The captain deadpanned. "Yet it is not uncommon for a young boy to be on board, she has not grown up enough that it is impossible for her to pass as one. Just cut her hair-"

"Cut the Queen's hair like a ruffian?" Gerda protested indignantly. Elsa personally liked her hair long, but she supposed cutting it did make sense. She wouldn't say a word against it if it protected the lives around her.

"Listen to yourself. I am not asking for her fingers here, Gerda. Hair grows back. It is quite a small price to pay." The captain reasoned.

Gerda seemed to deflate, "This is no life for anyone. I am sorry, I do not wish to be difficult, I just wanted to make Elsa's life as normal as possible."

"Her life was never normal to begin with. Being born a royal does that. I am sure eventually she can rally Arendelle to fight with her once more, but until then we must live on this ship."

"But that isn't forever. Eventually Elsa must-"

"Yes. Take back the throne. But I already have plans for when the Queen is ready, if she is willing."

Gerda paused suspiciously, and Elsa peered down at the captain closely. They had shifted right below her, angled to look out over the moonlit sea, but both their eyes were trained on one another. "What sort of thing are you planning?"

"If we disrupt trade from Arendelle, we could weaken whoever is placed in power then strike while they are weak."

"You're insinuating piracy! You are, don't even deny it." Gerda rubbed her temples, "Spirits, you are an ambitious man."

"I'm not captain because of my complacency." Elsa could see the Captain's grim smile from her perch. He was serious about resorting to piracy.

Elsa reminded herself that he had said if she was willing, but despite the blood staining the back of her eyelids at night, she couldn't find reason to protest if the crew wanted to. Any road she took would lead to bloodshed, her own or friends or her enemies. She would really prefer to take initiative against her enemies first, if she had to take any action at all. Better them than her, although she wouldn't have thought this way a month ago. Anger and sorrow flashed red hot through her mind.

Just a month ago she had been woken up by a guard who was surely dead by now, either hung for his loyalty to her or killed in battle. And the man that stood behind her, and the one who was quite rough when shoving her, but also so willing to give his life to her. All of those men who helped her escape that day and so many more. Too many had died for her, to give her a chance. Yes, Elsa decided, she would fight for her country, like her country had fought for her. Even if it cost her her life.


	2. Hope of the Ocean

Anna swung her feet gently above the water and leaned back on her palms, letting her face take in the warmth of the sun. She felt as if she could fall asleep like this, but her excitement wouldn’t let her mind relax. The Northern Belle was setting out tomorrow and Anna was going to be on it, one way or the other. It was a simple ship, not built for the famous sea battles that Anna had heard about, but she figured it was her first step into adventure. 

Anna desperately wanted to live the adventures she had heard about- valiantly sailing through storms and fighting bravely aboard a majestic sea vessel. She wanted to be like the heroes she had heard about, fighting against pirates and discovering wonderful new lands and experiencing foreign culture.

It was hard for her to imagine anything other than the city she had grown up with, but with the amount of time she spent watching the docks she had seen so much variation in the people and clothing that it boggled her mind. Anna wondered just how big the world was when she saw all these people doing their business, all tied together by the bonds of the bright ocean. She wanted to be one of those people, standing on a forging dock making children wonder at her red hair, which she heard is unheard of in other parts of the world.

Yet, even as much as she wished to be a hero and an explorer, a legend to look up to, she couldn’t deny that all of her favorite tales were of pirates, and her favorite pirate gang was by far of the ship the Ice Maiden. Most people held a decent respect for pirate tales, out of fear. Anna though- she couldn’t help but admire their feats with true longing to witness them herself. 

She memorized the myths of the Ice Maiden- it could sail undetected, ambushing ships and leaving them in shambles. The crew was rumored to be made up of giants, with hands big enough to crush a skull in one fist. The ship was said to be the fastest vessel in the ocean, and the cannons had the most deadly accuracy. The inescapable attack of the Ice Maiden was the most feared thing in the ocean, for once you were targeted by her there was no escape. 

But the true trademark for the Ice Maiden was the beautiful woman Captain, said to be a transformed mermaid seeking revenge for all the tyrannous men who thought they ruled her domain. Or she was a seductress, luring men into her traps with her beautiful voice and holding them captive with her eyes as she stuck them through with her sword. Another myth even said she had been a born a regular girl, but her mother bathed her in blood and salt as a child, making her the relentless and heartless Captain she was to that day. There were so many mysterious and outrageous theories surrounding her they made Anna’s head spin. She didn’t rationally believe any of them, but that made it all the better. How incredible must a person be for such rumors to be made about them?

It made Anna giddy with excitement. She wanted a part of that life. She wanted to become someone that people could look up to. Now she was a nobody- a clumsy and useless nobody at that- but in her dreams of the ocean she could become someone more.

Invigorated by her own thoughts Anna stood and took off towards where the Northern Belle was docked. She was going to become a part of the crew no matter what.

OOOO

She hadn’t really thought this through. Not at all. It was not typical for a girl to be accepted onto a crew period, let alone one as inexperienced and as clumsy as herself. This was not going to go well.

“Can I help you?” A blonde sailor asked when he noticed her staring wide-eyed at the Northern Belle towering above her, though he didn’t even pause his job of stacking large crates.

“Oh, who, me? No. I mean, yes.” Anna stuttered, “Uh,”

He scowled a little as he struggled with a crate, “Out with it.”

Anna cleared her throat nervously, “Can I speak with the captain?”

“No.” He replied, setting down the crate with a final thud.

Anna was thrown for a moment, he said no, just like that? She had thought she had been prepared for failure... She lowered her head, repeating to herself she expected that. She should have known she wouldn’t even get to set foot on the ship before her dream was squished. But then she thought of the heroes she looked up to- how would they have responded? The captain of the Ice Maiden certainly wouldn’t let a mere sailor stand in her way, so Anna wouldn’t let him either.

“I would really like to speak with him.” She tried again, voice wavering with uncertainty.

The man paused stacking crates for a moment and raised a curious eyebrow at her. “What do you want with the Captain?” He seemed at least a little interested now.

“Uh, I’d like to join the crew.”

“You think you could survive on a ship?” he waved dismissively at her, obviously indicating her thin body.

Indignant Anna puffed out her cheeks and frowned at the man, “Of course I can, I’m stronger than I look.”

“Sure, right.” The man nodded, obviously not believing her. “A little twig girl like you would snap in the wind.”

“I would not!” Anna insisted, placing her hands on her hips. “I am tough!”

The man smiled cockily, “Okay then, prove it. Arm wrestle me. If you can last even ten seconds against me I’ll take you to see the Captain.”

Anna nervously eyed the man’s biceps that appeared to be the size of her head. How could she back down now, though? Her pride wouldn’t let her, even if she felt like she was about to loose very badly. “A-alright,” She accepted nervously.

The man nodded silently and rested his left elbow on the stacked crates, and when Anna stepped forward to place her forearm next to his she really understood the difference between their sizes. He was some bull of a man and she felt like a mouse next to him.

Anna cupped his hand, ignoring the defeat staring her in the face, bracing her body and steadying her breathing. “One… Two…” He counted down steadily, “Three… Go!” Anna flexed her arm and shifted her weight to oppose him, but with a wrenching pain in her shoulder her hand was smacked down. She had lost in a second.

Anna pulled back and shook the pain out of her arm. “Sorry. But really, it’s for your own good.” The man said, offering her an apologetic shrug.

“Look out!”

Anna acted on instinct, springing into the man and shoving him down. When she regained her senses she was on the blonde man’s chest, and she quickly rolled off and looked to where he had once been standing. A smashed crate had fallen onto the deck, splintering into thousands of fragments. 

“Are you alright? Kristoff?” Another sailor clambered onto the dock, panic clear on his face. “Thank the gods, Kristoff, you’re okay. I’m so sorry.” He said when he saw the unharmed but dazed sailor still lying on the dock.

“Well damn,” The blonde sailor noted flatly. “Thanks,”

It took Anna a moment to realize he was addressing her. “Oh, no problem. I-I mean, you’re welcome.” Anna reached her hand down and helped him up. “Anyone would’ve…” She faltered at his incredulous look. “What?”

“Hell, I feel like I owe you something now.”

Immediately jumping at the opportunity, Anna leaned forward eagerly, “Would you take me to see your captain then?”

The man let out a hearty laugh, “You’re ruining the heroic and noble image you had for a total of ten seconds already, but I suppose I can’t refuse you now, can I?”


	3. Struggle

Elsa dispatched a sailor easily with the swipe of her curved cutlass, and stepped back calmly to watch over her own men fighting with the unfortunate fisherman. The battle wasn’t going to last much longer at all. The fishermen who hadn’t abandoned out of sheer terror were brave, but not skilled with a fighting. Her crew, on the other hand, were skilled in all aspects of piracy, killing included. 

After what seemed only a few minutes the crew of the Ice Maiden had managed to dispatch or subdue the rest of the fishermen, and Elsa swung easily by a rope from the deck of the Ice Maiden to the fishing vessel. “Report?”

Tiana, usually in charge of cooking, stepped forward, following just a pace behind Elsa as she strode across the deck while she informed her of the stores and cargo held on the fishing ship. “Olaf searched every nook and cranny on her, but found almost nothin’ worth lookin’ at. About a week’s worth of food though- if we ration. Ironically not a lick of fish either. Some fishin’ boat this turned out to be.”

Elsa frowned slightly and paused in her strides, “Nothing worth any value at all?”

“No, Captain.” Tiana confirmed, obviously aware what that meant for the crew. This had been a futile attack. The information that the boat had been smuggling fine metals had been false. Elsa sighed and started walking again, but this time with a much less purposeful pace. She hated wasting lives, and the Ice Maiden needed a good catch soon, they were running dry of resources. Low funds and low of resources and low on reliable crew members. Everything seemed to be slowly draining away before her eyes.

“Go inform Kai of the details.” Elsa dismissed. Tiana bowed her head in a respectful tilt and darted off to look for the quartermaster, Kai. Elsa tilted her wide-brimmed hat down to shadow her eyes as she considered her situation. Of course they would take the food, but could she spare enough men to sail the other ship to the trading cove? It wasn’t an extravagant boat, but it would still be able to be sold for a price, and any flow of riches would be welcome at this point. Yet as she glanced over her crew she counted an eerily small amount of able-bodied sailors. Elsa worried she had chosen wrong when she agreed to take position of captain, just as she had done many times before. Kai was much more knowledgeable and wise, he should be the one leading the crew. She worried she was slowly leading her comrades, her friends, into doom.

Shaking off her negative thoughts, Elsa straightened her back and strode forward with a familiar false confidence. She had been vote captain and she would fulfill her duty to her crew to the best of her ability. She only stopped again when she was in front of the few survivors from the fishing vessel. Blood leaked out of one man’s nose, draining down his face in a slow trickle, but with his hands roughly tied behind his back he was unable to wipe it away. “Who is the ranking officer alive?” Elsa asked clearly and loudly enough for her crew to hear.

“Me,” A gruff voice growled from a man kneeling near the center of the men. “Gonna shoot me dead first, or last?”

“I’ll give you a chance.” Elsa motioned at her men and they quickly responded by lifting the man up by his elbow so he was standing. “Best me in a duel and I’ll let you keep your ship and those of you alive will be free to leave.”

“Hah, after you’ve plundered it for what little we have, and killed more than half the crew, you mean. Fair chance my ass, bitch.”

Elsa held the man’s stare coolly, “I said you get a chance, fair never came from my mouth. Do you wish to die fighting for your life or do you want to die like a coward? It makes no difference to me.”

“I’ll kill you!” the man screeched, lunging at Elsa with his bare hands, only to be held back by her sailors. “I’ll kill you!”

“Die like a coward it is, then,” Elsa said quietly as she pulled one of her intricately carved pistols from her belt, pulling back the hammer as she aimed. Just as she leveled the gun at the man’s head the sailors holding him back stepped away, and she pulled the trigger. The man crumpled to the deck with a gurgle and a thud. 

“Leave the others here, we’re sinking it.” Elsa waved her hand to motion her crew into action. Like a well-oiled machine they immediately started hauling crates of food from the fishing ship to the Ice Maiden and unhooking her from the small fishing ship they were about to put to rest. Elsa did her best to avoid looking at the faces of the fishermen she had just doomed, but she knew that they would forever stalk her in her nightmares, along with every other person before them that had met the same fate at her hands.

OOOO

It had been about two months at sea and Anna was exhausted. No, she thought, she was beyond exhausted. She had only been awake one hour and already felt fatigued. She had felt like this from day one, and the toll her body took only seemed to get worse. She had known it would be hard, it wasn’t a surprise to her that she wasn’t exactly in incredible physical shape, but she thought this was just ridiculous. Shouldn’t she have gotten use to it a little bit by now? Her arms were as useful as wet noodles. Her hands weren’t cooperating either, getting so many blisters that she wasn’t sure where one ended and the others began. She could even count her ribs, for goodness sake!

She needed to prove herself, and so far she didn’t think she was looking so hot. The Captain had been surprisingly nice and understanding, considering the situation. He had said she could be on the crew as a test run, if she didn’t pull her weight the next time the Northern Belle docked she would be dumped, left alone in a foreign land. At the time she had been overconfident and agreed readily to the arrangement, but now doubt swam through her head. She didn’t expect or want Captain Hans to go back on his agreement with her, she just wished she had thought about it more before accepting.

Anna huffed, annoyed with herself for dwelling so much on the subject. She had to stay positive or she had no chance at all. What was it her mother always said? If you never try you’ll never succeed? Well, something along those lines, anyway. It had been a long time.

She just needed to keep moving forward, Captain Hans would see her perseverance. Hopefully. 

Anna was jerked back to her work by a rough shove to her shoulder, “Get out of the way,” A large man grumbled as he shouldered his way past her. Anna seethed, but held herself back. Another thing about sailing was the absolute disrespect she received from the crew members. The Captain was a gentleman, and the man she had convinced to let her on the ship, Kristoff, was a little rough around the edges but still fine enough. No one else would show her the slightest bit of recognition though. They stole her rations of food at dinner and breakfast, and made it as hard as possible to do her assigned jobs correctly. It was like she was a curse, or a thorn in their side. She had done nothing to them! She was working her absolute hardest and they seemed to get some sick satisfaction by harassing her. She’d work her hardest just to spite them if nothing else. She had to prove that she was better than them. She would not be the victim of petty bullying like some child.

Relaxing her clenched hands, Anna took a calming breath. She just had to move on. But just as she was about to climb the stairs leading to the deck another man barreled down them, once again knocking her back.

“Ah, watch yourself, Anna.” Kristoff warned without bite. He looked strangely ruffled, his hat askew and shirt untucked.

“Something wrong?” She wondered.

“No- it’s nothing. Please just stay below deck for a little will you? Don’t come up until I come get you. Take inventory or something.”

“Inventory? Can’t that wait? I have to-“

“Anna listen to me for once, will you?” Kristoff snapped, shaky hand pushing his triangular hat straight.

“What’s going on? Don’t lie to me.” Anna demanded. She felt herself starting get worried. What had Kristoff riled up so much? Why was he so nervous? Were the other boys planning a particularly nasty prank on her? Well she could take it. She had to- she wasn’t in need of his protection.

Anna swiftly ducked under Kristoff’s arm and stomped up the stairs, ignoring his warning calls. She wouldn’t hide from them. But when she clambered onto deck what she saw was the last thing she expected. None of the crew on deck were paying her any attention as they scrambled around adjusting sails frantically. She heard Captain yelling in a commanding voice but the meaning of the words were lost on her. A proud ship with snow white sails was only a few miles away and gaining quickly. But what stopped Anna’s heart was the black flag whipping in the wind, showing off a gruesome skull, the banner of bloody and prowling pirates.


	4. Change of Hands

Anna staggered back, a disbelieving squeak escaping her lips. This couldn’t be happening, there was no way the Northern Belle could be a target of pirates. No way. No way. But right before her eyes she saw the ship approaching swiftly, gliding through the ocean like butter straight towards her. The ship was close enough to make out the men scurrying across the deck, and Anna couldn’t break her gaze away. No way.

“Anna, please, go below deck.” Kristoff snapped her out of her thoughts by tugging on her wrist none too gently, firmly spinning her to face away from the attacking ship. Only once his steady grip touched her did she notice how badly she was shaking.

“Take this,” He pressed a serrated knife into her trembling hands, and she caught her own pale expression in the blade. “Don’t attack anyone unless you’re protecting yourself, okay? You aren’t skilled enough to go asking for trouble. Just stay out of sight-“

The booming voice of Captain Hans cut through the chaos on the ship, “Man the guns! Prepare to be boarded! She’s pulling alongside and there’s nothing to be done about it. Fight to the last man, you bastards.” He finished off, grimly nodding at his somber crew.

They weren’t motionless for long, the crew suddenly springing into motion, drawing swords and preparing the cannons. It seemed that even if they were too late to escape attack the crew of the Northern Belle was determined to go down with a fight.

Anna fought her own panic. She wouldn’t be help anywhere, she realized. The only things she had been taught had been the menial jobs as well as some useless facts in passing. Not how to fight. She gripped the knife until her knuckles were white, but she still felt as if it could slip out of her fingers at any moment due to her shaking and sweaty palms.

Before she could process it, the Northern Belle shot her cannons with a roaring bang that snapped Anna out of her shock. Even if she had never fought like this before she had to help her crew as much as she could. Even if she kind of resented them for being mean to her, she couldn’t really wish death on them.

The cannons from the Northern Belle had actually hit home, due to the shocking proximity of the other ship, but it seemed to Anna as if the resistance was too late. They were too close, and she saw preparations being made by the pirates to board her ship. How had they snuck so closely while being undetected? She knew for a fact that there was always someone in the crows nest during the day- had they been slacking on the job? 

If they had been it was going to cost a lot of lives.

The pirates soared across the gap between ships with practiced ease, leaning into the ropes to speed them through the air quickly. Shots fired from her own crewmembers and one of the pirates jerked unnaturally and fell into the churning sea below. The pirates drew their weapons mid-flight as well, and soon the deck was hailed with bullets. In the next moment they had landed and surged forward with bold cries.

Anna steeled herself. Like hell she’d just run. She was going to prove herself even if it killed her. She lunged forward blindly, knife brandished and jaw clenched. The pirate she had been aiming for saw her coming from a mile away and almost lazily batted the knife out of Anna’s hands. She quickly tried to backpedal, only to stumble and fall on her butt.

She really was rethinking her decision to have the determination to prove herself. Really, she would be fine not proving herself if she could live. The Pirate stepped forward and tilted his sword towards her neck, and Anna pushed herself back until she ran into the railing of the ship and she couldn’t go any farther. Her hands scrambled for anything nearby to fight back with, and all the managed to grab was a broken piece of plywood. She feigned hurling it at the pirate, making him flinch just enough she was able to stand up and lunge at him, bringing the wood down on his head as hard as she could.

The pirate let out a jumbled string of swearwords and instinctively curled down slightly to cradle the top of his head. Anna again reared back and delivered a blow to his head before he could recover, then repeated the action until he collapsed on the ground, and then a few more times just for good measure.

Shakily she rubbed her face, trying to keep her head on straight as she fought her own panic. Had she really just done that? Bludgeoned a person to the ground? Crap, had she killed him? Crap. Well, kind of good, but also crap.

Anna was snapped out of her moral conflict by a body falling back into her arms that she caught by the armpits automatically. Grey-blue eyes pierced through Anna and she stumbled backwards as the woman she had caught stood on her own two feet. Anna raised her plank of wood in a weak attempt at a defense. The woman’s wild white-gold hair whipped around her face and she raised her curved sword and flourished it with a peaceful expression.

“Anna!” Kristoff suddenly stepped in front of her, using his own body as a shield. 

Anna peered around Kristoff’s huge form to find the woman with a pensive expression. “You’ve lost, sailor. Step aside.”

He hesitated, but stayed planted where he was. “Spare Anna. She doesn’t deserve-“

“Deserve, you say? Do you think I pick and choose who I kill? This is a Weasleton ship, and therefore you die.” The woman dismissed.

“You’re the Ice Maiden, aren’t you?” It took Anna a moment to process that she was the one who spoke. She cleared her throat and shifted nervously, the woman’s eyes locked on her.

“What of it?” She questioned.

Anna stared at the deck, neck and face hot, “N-nothing.”

The woman took a step forward and spoke again, “What of it?”

Anna tried to hold it in but a few tears escaped her eyes and she kept her head down, hoping that no one would be able to see how cowardly she was acting. “It’s very odd, y-you know. To be killed by your favorite sea tale. I always wanted to be strong like the captain I heard about, and now I have to die by your hand…”

Anna glanced up and found the pirate looking uncomfortable in a way she thought no pirate captain, let alone the Ice Maiden, to look. She opened her mouth as if to respond, but snapped it shut just as quickly.

Yet just as quickly as her discomfort had appeared it was gone. “Surrender. Join the Ice Maiden’s crew.”

“What?” Anna whispered in shock.

“I’ll spare your life if you swear to serve on my ship.”

Kristoff glanced at Anna in shock, then grabbed her shoulders, “Anna no- you’re worse than dead on a pirate ship, it’s not a life worth living. If you think living on this ship was hard, think of how pirates will treat you-“

“I’ll spare the rest of the living crew as well. We will take what we came for and leave, if you come with us. But if not, we continue as we were.”

Anna looked at Kristoff helplessly, “I have to,” she whispered to him, “Or everyone will die.”

“No! Take me-“

“I will not compromise!” She snapped, a sneer growing on her face. “Choose now.”

“Ill do it, I’ll do it,” Anna cried, lunging forward, pushing past Kristoff and falling at the Ice Maiden’s feet, “I’ll do it, just spare everyone else, please!”

“Very well. You’ve made your choice.” The pirate turned away, and Anna took note of the regal cut of the jaw and the impassive glint in the eyes of her new captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am alive. Yes, I'll continue this story. Thanks for sticking around!


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